2-story plans get board green light

School construction received a push forward this week when School Board members selected an architect to design new facilities for multiple campuses.

Mascotte Elementary, the second-most-crowded school in the district, will be replaced with a two-story building for 934 students. The old administration facility, which has more than two dozen classrooms, will become a pre-kindergarten center, board members decided.

Minneola Elementary, the third-most crowded campus, will have a new two-story school as well that can serve 1,150 students.

The district will save up to $7 million on each project by constructing schools consisting of only one two-story building, Facilities Director Gary Parker told board members Monday night. The district will be able to secure additional savings by reusing the school design for other projects, such as the new elementaries in Four Corners and Minneola, he said.

The votes were cast at a meeting at Mascotte Elementary where more than 200 residents applauded the board's actions. Board members followed up that meeting with a workshop Tuesday at district headquarters in Tavares, during which they voiced support for a proposal for a new magnet school in Clermont jointly operated with Lake-Sumter Community College. The school would target high-school students interested in health and technology careers.

The facility could be built on 10 acres to accommodate up to 600 students near Lake-Sumter's Clermont campus near Oakley Seaver and Hancock roads, college President Charles Mojock told board members. If approved, the project could take about two years to plan and another year for construction.

"I think this is a very viable option," board member Becky Elswick said.

Board members agreed, however, that money for future schools is tight. But some said a jointly operated facility for high school and college students could be cheaper to build.

Board members have grown increasingly impatient with the pace of construction under Superintendent Anna Cowin, accusing her of delaying work as she focused on building a K-8 campus in Four Corners that she hoped would be a national model. Cowin has consistently maintained that was not so.

The district has roughly $145 million to spend on capital projects for the next two years, assuming no more debt is assumed, to build classrooms for more than 8,000 south Lake children expected to exceed school capacity in fall 2007. Board members will be prioritizing next month which schools to do first. The Minneola and Mascotte projects will add permanent classrooms for about 1,300 children.

"I am very happy this board came together," board member Larry Metz said late Monday. "I have a good feeling tonight."

Board members directed Cowin to list the two projects as well as others on all meeting agendas so they could ensure progress was being made.

John Kruse, president of Mascotte's Parent Teacher Organization, greeted the developments with guarded optimism. He said over the years the board has promised campus improvements that never materialized. To be safe, he said, members of the school community will be attending every meeting.

"We need to keep on top of the pulse of what is happening with Mascotte," Kruse said. "It makes us feel comfortable it will be looked at at board meetings."

Tammy Phelps, a teacher at Lost Lake Elementary and member of a citizens group critical of the effect of unbridled development on students, praised the progress on construction.

She told board members residents understood money was tight and enrollment increases were steep, but they also wanted a time line for addressing overcrowding. She also said members of the citizens group VOICE did not want school communities pitted against each other when funding decisions were made.

"Not knowing is the worse part," Phelps said. "We need you to do whatever it takes to get the job done."